Ashes to Ashes
by Reploid7
Summary: After the events of Blazblue: Alter Memory/Continuum Shift, Ragna the Bloodedge begins to recall someone else he knew during his childhood that he can't quite remember. This old, forgotten friend of his begins burning NOL branches to the ground and rummaging through their files. He's searching for Ragna and Jin, hoping to find them before Terumi can strike again.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Returning Home

Red hot flames burned and ate away at the architecture of the NOL branch. Standing amongst the flames was a young man with hair as black as charcoal and eyes as blue as the azure sky in an empty branch base that he himself had set aflame. "No one was here. Well, it only makes my job easier. I couldn't bear to silence any familiar faces."

_At the 13__th__ Hierarchical City, Kagutsuchi…_

The white-haired man lay down, looking up at the cloudy skies, not a care in the world. At least, he didn't have any cares YET. He gave out a big yawn and closed his eyes, welcoming sleep. It was a nice day and it would be a waste to spend it fighting.

Just as he was slipping into slumber, he felt a slip of paper land on his head. Aggravated, he took the paper and looked at it.

It was a wanted poster of the man with the highest bounty in history. The SS-Rank Criminal wanted by the NOL, Ragna the Bloodedge. The man looked at the wanted poster and grinned. They finally managed to get his face right.

Ragna may be a criminal that was constantly hunted down by many Bounty Hunters, but ever since his first day as a wanted man, the terribly distorted face of what the NOL passed off as him just pissed him off.

"It's about damn time they got it right. All those previous posters were horrible." He chuckled a little before he crumpled the poster into a wrinkled ball and threw it away.

"There you are, Ragna!"

Ragna looked over at Noel, a former NOL soldier. After recent events, she had officially deserted the NOL and after that, she went off on her own for a bit.

"I've been looking all over for you," she said as she looked around, "I heard that Tao would be with you. Where is she?" Ragna groaned exhaustedly, "This is just my luck. I finally manage to ditch that damn cat and now you show up. I thought I could finally get some peace and quiet for once."

Ever since the recent disasters, Noel has managed to learn to put up with Ragna's rude attitude. However, there were some moments here and there where he ends up saying something completely wrong.

"Wouldn't it be safer for you if Tao were with you?"

Ragna remained silent, trying desperately to get some sleep.

_About Ten Years Ago…_

_Ragna was laying on the soft grass, gazing up at the blue sky without a single care in the world. He smiled, enjoying and holding onto this moment, hoping it would last forever._

"_Brother!"_

_Ragna sat up and gazed off into the distance to see Jin and Saya run over to him. He was about to greet them when he noticed someone else approaching. He couldn't make out who that third person was. When he looked at Jin and Saya, he could see their faces clearly, but when he looked at this third kid, his vision got blurry and fogged. All he could make out was his coal black hair._

Ragna woke up and found Taokaka sitting on his chest, his head clenched between her hands, er, paws.

"Hey, hey, Good Guy, you need to wake up, meow! Tao is starving to death. Tao needs to eat neow!"

Ragna groaned and pushed the Kaka warrior off of him. He stood up from his resting spot and started pacing off towards town, with Taokaka and Noel following after him.

"Who was that other kid?"

_The Burnt Ruins of the Ikaruga NOL Branch…_

Jin stood there, looking upon the freshly burned NOL branch. He shuffled through the ashes, investigating, looking for clues as to what happened. After a few dull moments of finding nothing, he managed to find something abnormal. It was an entire bookcase full of documents, files, and records untouched by the flames that brought the building to its destruction.

He shifted through the files to see if he could find anything that could help him in his search and discovered every file in the R, T, J, and S sections of the records were missing.

"What was this attacker looking for?"

_Orient Town…_

The black-haired boy rummaged through the files, burning the unwanted files. He had already cleared through the J and T sections, finding the files in those categories that he happened to be looking for. Unfortunately, the file he was looking for in the S section wasn't there. He found the last file he was looking for in the R section. He had the other files he wanted under his arms. He looked around for a good place to rest and sat down near a Chinese restaurant and began looking over the files.

He started with the J section. There were two files of interest in the J category. He started by looking through Jin's file.

He looked through the file thoroughly and burned it to ash after he was finished and then began to look through the other file, HIS file.

He used to be a member of the NOL, but he deserted them recently and began to attack them once he found out they were hunting someone.

As he was reminded of that, he burned his file and moved onto the next one: Ragna the Bloodedge.

"He's still alive," Jacky thought, "But I doubt he's doing very well. Please, Ragna, don't die until I find you."

He looked over the information and looked through the records on where he was last scene. "The 13th Hierarchical City, Kagutsuchi. Well that's convenient." He threw the file over his shoulder after he set it aflame before looking at the final file. Tsubaki Yayoi, the only person whose file he would not burn.

"I wonder how she is right now."

_Years Ago, NOL Military Academy…_

"_Come on, Makoto, stop teasing the poor boy," Jacky said. The Beastkin was hugging Carl Clover hard and she was pretty much squeezing the life out of him, but she managed to reluctantly release him from the affectionate chokehold._

"_God, you're such a killjoy, Jacky, you know that?"_

"_Yeah, yeah, cry me a river, Squirrel Girl!" Jacky replied, "If you ended up killing Carl like that, I don't think the military would even allow such a…'dangerous' girl in." He laughed a little at saying 'dangerous'._

_Carl distanced himself from Makoto, not wanting to have what life he had left drained out of him._

"_Where's Noel? I thought for sure she'd be here?" Jacky looked around for her, but found no signs of her in the crowd of students roaming the halls. Makoto grinned at Jacky with a teasing gaze. "Are ya sure that Noel's the one you're really waiting on?"_

"_I don't know what you're talking about, Squirrel Girl."_

"_Good afternoon, Makoto, Jacky, Carl," said a familiar voice. Jacky froze up, just barely managing to turn around to look at Tsubaki and Noel. "H-hey, Tsubaki, what's up, what took you so long?"_

_Tsubaki sighed and shot Noel a brief, annoyed glance and explained, "Sorry about that, but Noel had to return some books to the library and just couldn't wait."_

_Makoto wrapped her arm around Jacky's shoulder. "I think it's safe to say that a few of us were worried you wouldn't show."_

"_Really, who would that be?"_

"_None other than Ja-!"_

_Before the Beastkin was able to finish that sentence, Jacky had bashed an open hand into the back of her head on instinct, fire encircling his hands. "Don't talk about things that ain't your business, Squirrel Girl!"_

_Makoto began rubbing her head, which had sprouted some first-degree burns. She's lucky he didn't turn up the heat._

_After that, the military students had finally left campus for a few moments for lunch. They had fun and joked around._

_Those were better times. They were fun times. A time that he could spend with his friends more freely. Noel, Carl, Makoto, and Jin. But the one whose company he enjoyed the most was Tsubaki. He missed those days and wished that he could retreat back to that time, but unfortunately, reality is a bitch and he just had to accept that._

Jacky snapped out of his reminiscing and stood up to leave. "I can't concern myself with her. Ragna and Jin are my top priorities. Both their files state that they were last seen in Kagutsuchi. They're close by, I bet. Ragna, Jin, I hope that when I find you, I find you under good terms. I'm coming home!"


	2. The Ancient Fire

Chapter 2

The Ancient Fire

Jacky walked through the streets of Orient Town, a variety of wonderful smells hovered through the air. It was the best part of Kagutsuchi, how relaxing the town could be. Jacky walked past countless people who went about their day-to-day business.

He unexpectedly bumped into someone as he shifted through the crowds. "I'm sorry about that, sir. I didn't see you there."

The person he bumped into was a bit challenged in the height department, so it was no surprise that he wasn't noticed. The stranger laughed, his voice sounded familiar. "I don't blame you; it's not your fault."

The stranger tipped his hat back, giving Jacky a better look at his face. That bright blonde hair, those deep blue eyes; He couldn't possibly forget that face.

"Carl Clover, is that you?"

"The one and only," he responded. Carl took a good look at the black-haired young man that stood before him and it took him considerably longer to recall who he was. "Ah, now I remember you. You're Jacky Sol Ray, correct? I haven't seen you in such a long time."

"Yeah, it has, last time I saw you was back at Academy graduation a few years back. After that I never heard from you. What have you been up to these days?" Jacky was happy to see a friendly face again, especially an old friend.

"Well, I'm not military anymore, that's for sure. Even you could pick that up, right?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean, Shortstack?" Jacky laughed. He would probably have put Carl into a chokehold and given him a noogie for that comment if he hadn't've noticed the doll standing behind him.

"That's a Nox Nyctores, right? What are you doing with something like that out in the open?"

"Sis is always around, since there's no need for her to hide," Carl replied. 'Sis'? What was he talking about?

"…." The doll behind Carl was silent, not surprising, of course. However, something about that Archenemy seemed to suggest that it was still talking, even in silence.

"Anyways, I'd actually heard that you were a vigilante, a bounty hunter, even. Have any targets in mind right now?" Carl nodded in response and what he said made him flinch. "Indeed, I do. His name is Ragna the Bloodedge. Surely you've heard of him, Jacky?"

So Carl was hunting Ragna? What was the reason behind this? The bounty? The fame for bringing in the most wanted criminal? Or was it for what he carried, the Azure Grimoire?

Carl noticed the faint traces of fear in Jacky's expression and smiled. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about him, would you, Jacky?"

He looked down at Carl and then at the doll standing behind him. "No, I don't know anything about him. Only rumors, though I doubt there anything you haven't already heard of," he said as he turned to leave.

The next thing he knew, the Archenemy had blocked Jacky's path leading away from Carl.

"Lying is a bad practice, Jacky. You know that as well as anybody else. I'll ask again, tell me what you know about Ragna the Bloodedge."

"I'm sorry, Carl, but I can't help you and, even if I could, I wouldn't! I don't want to hurt you Carl, but if you try to attack me, I will defend myself and I promise that it won't end well for you." He attempted to pass by the doll, but it extended one of its arms to block his path further.

"I'm warning you, Carl, don't get in my way or I'll be forced to deal with you like I deal with every other obstacle."

The doll swung its arms at Jacky. He bent backwards and high-kicked it before back stepping and tripping Carl over with a leg sweep. After that, he made a break for it, heading to the edge of town as fast as possible, where there were bound to be less people.

As he ran, he burned through the air and through the flames, his Archenemy, Drakos came forth. He took his weapon by the hilt and prepared himself for a fight. His Archenemy, Drakos, was a double-edged bastard sword with a red blade.

He managed to reach one of the ports at the edge of Kagutsuchi. After that, he stopped running and turned to face his opponents. They were out of sight, though, he could still feel Carl's aura. He couldn't pinpoint where he was, though, his sensory skills wasn't his strongest trait.

The Archenemy doll came forth from above and cut four gashes across Jacky's chest, drawing blood. He managed to step back a bit before the blow landed. His wounds were shallow, but even still, he couldn't afford to drag this fight out.

"I'm sorry, Carl, but I'm not dying here. Not yet." Jacky avoided another swipe from the doll and then thrust Drakos through it and pinned it to the ground. He summoned fire and burned Carl for a bit before giving him a good, hard kick, knocking him out. He snapped his fingers and the fire the lingered on Carl immediately vanished. Carl had second-degree burns, but he'd be alright. As for the Archenemy that he pinned to the ground, he didn't trust it, so he kept Drakos within the material plane.

_Kagutsuchi West Port – Noel Vermillion_

A few hours ago, Ragna and Tao (Mostly Tao this time) had once again driven her away. It was nothing really all that new, but still, Ragna was just as rude as ever and Tao was just as insulting, though Noel doubted that Tao realized it.

As she strolled through the edge of the city, Noel noticed smoke in the distance. She summoned Bolverk and ran off to investigate.

_Kagutsuchi South Port – Jacky Ray_

Jacky approached Carl's unconscious body and kneeled down. "What should I do now? I can't just leave him here. Despite who his target is, he's still my friend." He pondered what to do when he heard the approaching sound of footsteps heading his way. "Someone's coming, maybe they can help."

Jacky got up to his feet and waited for the person off in the distance to get close enough to where they could hear him. That's when he noticed something.

"Saya?" It looked just like her, but as the girl came closer, he noticed some subtle differences and realized that she was someone else entirely. As she finally came within earshot, Jacky remembered recognized Noel.

"Who are you?" The girl asked. "What is with you guys not remembering me? I recall every single one of you guys immediately, but you guys go and forget me? That's just terrible," He responded, "It's me, Noel, Jacky Ray!"

As an expression of recognition began to cross her face, Jacky picked up Carl and she began to become distressed. "What happened to Carl?" She demanded.

"Well, you see, he kinda attacked me and I just happened to defend myself. Of course, that means I had to keep his doll incapacitated too, considering it can't be knocked out cold."

"W-why would Carl attack you?"

"He knew I was keeping something from him and tried to beat some answers out of me. I don't really approve of him going after Ragn-!" Jacky immediately shut his mouth, but it was too late.

"Ragna the Bloodedge?"

Jacky immediately charged a fireball in his open palm and aimed for Noel. "If you try to do what Carl did, I will have to take you down as well, Noel!" He couldn't summon Drakos or else the doll that Carl commands would attack him again.

"N-no, I wasn't going to do that! Ragna isn't a bad person, I know that," she cried. This was certainly a surprise. Jacky expected her to want information, but she was willingly turning that down. Something big must've happened while he was gone from Kagutsuchi.

He let the fire in his hand extinguish and lowered his hand, but remained cautious. Noel approached and leaned over Carl. "Do you know a good doctor around these parts, Noel?" Jacky asked. She nodded her head, but she raised her hands and began groping at her chest, particularly in her breast area. She was muttering a name under her breath, as well.

"What are you doing?" Jacky said, bringing her back to reality. "Eh? N-nothing! I just said that we should visit Dr. Litchi. She works at a clinic in Orient Town, we can take Carl there and have his wounds healed."

"Okay then, that sounds good, let's do that," he said, scooping up Carl's body and walking to town. "Lead the way, Noel." Noel walked ahead of Jacky after looking back at Carl's doll, which was still pinned to the ground.

"What about her?"

Jacky looked back at the doll and then continued towards town. "Once we're far enough away from it, I'll deem it safe to release it, but until then, I don't want that crazy thing assaulting me again."

_Ikaruga – Ragna the Bloodedge and Taokaka_

Ragna and Tao were roaming the city, poking through some cafes and restaurants, eating their fill, and resting for a bit.

"Why are you in such a hurry neow, Good Guy?" Tao asked.

Ragna released an agitated groan as they passed through town. Having received no answer, Tao grabbed Ragna's arm and pulled at him to get him to stop. "Let go of me, you damn cat!"

He manages to loosen her grip on his arm and eventually she gives up on pulling his arm and begins to pull at his legs. "Nyot until you stop and rest, Good Guy, meow!"

Ragna knew Tao long enough to know that she wouldn't give up on this easily, and so, he relented and took a room at an inn. There was almost no arguing with Tao and he wasn't in the mood to yell at her at the moment.

_Orient Town, Litchi's Clinic – Jacky Ray, Noel Vermillion, and Carl Clover_

Jacky and Noel had just arrived at the clinic and managed to convince Litchi's assistant to take Carl in, despite her wariness of Noel. They decided to leave the clinic for a few hours, which was mostly Jacky's idea, considering that Carl's Nox Nyctores would be arriving soon enough.

"So, where have you been all this time, Jacky? We never saw you much after we graduated from the Academy."

"I mostly worked in the Assassin's Unit. Stealthy Undertakers for the NOL, you know?" Jacky explained, "Not a very enjoyable job for yours truly, but the orders to put me in the Assassin's Unit came straight from the Imperator herself, so…"

_Orient Town, Litchi's Clinic – Jin Kisaragi_

Jin had been wandering around, his mind wrapped around the NOL attacker. "No, you can't leave yet, your wounds haven't healed!" Jin noticed Carl off in the distance attempting to leave the clinic.

Jin approached the boy; he was in a particularly calm mood today. "Excuse me, but can you tell me what happened here?"

Carl looked up at his interviewer, stepping back a few steps at the sight of the former NOL major. "You've got a lot of burns, Carl. Care to explain?"

Seeing as how his doll, Nirvana, hadn't arrived yet and that he was defenseless, he relented, and released the events of what recently took place, with Jin absorbing every last bit of info.

_Years Ago, NOL Military Academy…_

_Jin had wandered the halls, heading to his next class when a certain fire breather crashed into him, knocking him over._

"_Watch where you're going," he yelled. The black-haired fire starter popped a vein and leaned in towards Jin, furious. Extreme heat was coming off of him while extreme cold was coming off of Jin. "Shut up, Jin. Or, I'm sorry, should I refer to you as Student Body President? So sorry I made you drop your precious school work, TOOL!"_

"_Be silent, you scaly scourge! I don't care what you think of me, you need to learn some manners!"_

"_You wanna fight, Abominable Snow Freak? LET'S GO!"_

_Jin and Jacky began to throw quick punches and swift kicks; Jacky even headbutt Jin in the gut once. Jin and Jacky were almost never getting along. They saw things differently in that time and their huge gap in opinions often lead them to fights, whether they be physical or verbal, it didn't matter. Hell, when they weren't particularly in the mood to argue or fight, they would just throw viscous glares at each other._

_These quarrels usually concluded with Tsubaki having to separate the two from the angry fights._

_Ever since Jacky first saw Jin, he wanted to ignore Jin, but fate just laughed at him and he often found himself involved with Jin a lot. This led to the two to be constantly at each other's throats. Despite all the angry fights, Jacky's constant insults at Jin, and Jin's slight superiority complex over Jacky, those days were still enjoyable._

_Present Time, 12__th__ Hierarchical City of Kukunochi – Noel and Jacky_

Jacky and Noel had lost track of time conversing with each other and exchanging stories of recent events.

"Are we in the 12th City?" Jacky just nodded depressingly.

"We should probably get back to the clinic, Carl must be awake by now," Noel muttered. The duo turned on their heels and headed off when Jacky rammed into someone big. "Sorry about that, Mr. Tager," Noel said as she helped Jacky off the ground.

He looked up at the red giant that stood before him. He's heard of the Red Devil of Sector Seven during his time in the Assassin's Unit, but he never thought that he'd be as big as they said. "Sorry for the trouble, sir. I didn't mean to trouble you," Jacky said.

"Oh, it's no trouble at-," He began, but a voice from nowhere, distinctly female and vaguely grouchy interrupted him. "Tager, what the hell are you doing? You're supposed to be heading to the 10th city right now. As for those kids, I suggest you not get involved with them, especially the Azure Successor. It's not yet time to associate ourselves with them."

"Roger that, Kokonoe," Tager moaned. The Red Devil excused himself and left the two behind.

"That was the Red Devil?" Jacky asked. Noel nodded and laughed as Jacky punched the air. "He looks awesome! I expected him to be real intimidating, but, DAMN, he's cool!" Noel laughed and looked on as Jacky's appearance began to shift with his excitement. Scales on his skin began to form, hardening his flesh and his arms began to appear as a rusty red shade. "Jacky, your scales are showing," She said. Jacky immediately paused and chuckled before his appearance shifted back to his usual look.

"Sorry about that. Just the excitement, it got to me."

Jacky and Noel continued on their way back to Kagutsuchi.

_13__th__ Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi, Litchi's Clinic – Jin Kisaragi and Carl Clover_

Jin had stopped his investigation for a moment in order to rest. He may be a tenacious one, but at least, for once, he knows when to take a break. Litchi entered the room and set down a tray of food for Jin and Carl.

"Kisaragi, I've answered your questions, it's only fair that you answer mine. Why are you asking me about the NOL? Aren't I supposedly the last person you would question about the Librarium?"

Jin sighed and gave a quick nod. He took a deep breath before he explained. "I've been hunting down Captain Hazama for a while, looking through branches of the Library for clues, but I recently found three NOL branches burned to the ground, all that was saved were cabinets and bookcases which held records and files and every single one of them had the same categories missing from them. J, R, S, and T were the categories that were taken from the branches of the Library. I've changed my objective to finding whoever is rummaging through these files. Also, there's something that has piqued my curiosity about this file scavenger."

Carl looked up from his meal towards his cold visitor. "What would that be, Jin?"

"While I was going through the burnt base, I noticed faint traces that could only have come from the use of a Nox Nyctores. This scavenger is a user of Ars Magus, that was obvious from the beginning, but as I was leaving the ruins of the NOL branch, the ashes from the building were beginning to flicker with violet sparks of fire and after I had retreated a safe distance, a explosion ripped apart what was left of the ruins. Whoever has been going through the Library's files wields a powerful Armagus and a fierce Archenemy."

_-Drakos, the Ancient Fire-_


	3. Fire and Ice

Chapter 3

Fire and Ice

_13__th__ City, Kagutsuchi, Litchi's Clinic – Jacky, Noel, Carl, and Jin_

It took Jacky and Noel quite a bit longer to get back to the clinic, or at least, it felt longer, considering they weren't occupied by conversation this time. When they arrived, the air inside the clinic had grown colder, even though it was much hotter outside.

Litchi had come in to greet the two upon their return. "Why is it so cold in here, Doc?" Jacky demanded. She led Jacky and Noel to the room where Carl was resting and found Jin sleeping in a bed next Carl's. Both of them were fast asleep, Carl's doll was stood right by his side.

"Oh god, it's the icy dimwit. I was hoping to see Ragna first, but, of course, god hates me," Jacky groaned in despair. He sat down in a chair at the other side of the room.

Jacky looked over at Noel and noticed that she was avoiding Litchi. "Noel, what are you doing?" She jumped and turned to look at Jacky and then, hesitantly, at Litchi. "N-nothing at all."

However, when Litchi wasn't looking, she began to grope at her chest again. Jacky looked between her and Miss Litchi for about ten seconds before he understood. He burst into laughter that Noel was jealous. "Don't worry Noel, they'll grow out one day," he said.

Jacky's laughing was interrupted by a sneeze. The cold atmosphere that Jin was unknowingly creating was aggravating him. No surprise there.

Jacky began to give off a fierce heat which warmed the room back to a moderate temperature. The sudden change in heat, however, didn't go unnoticed, and Jin woke up.

"Why is it so hot in here?"

His eyes landed on Jacky and he grabbed Yukianesa immediately. "You!"

Jacky laughed, "Just my luck, the only one who remembers me is the Frostbitten Freakshow." He drew Drakos from nothing just in time to block Yukianesa. "Just as feisty as ever, I see. You haven't changed one bit, Jin."

Jin managed to calm himself and sheathed his sword, while Jacky followed suit. "So, it's been a while, hasn't it, eh, Jin?"

Jin stared at him with a hostile glare. "Aw, what's with the face, Jinny boy? Didn't ya miss me? I certainly missed you." Jacky was beginning to grate Jin's nerves again.

He forced himself to sit down and release his firm grip on Yukianesa. "It's been years since we've seen each other, Ray," he said. "A few, yeah, and yet you still call me by my last name. You really know how to make someone feel special, Frosty."

There were sparks flying between the two swordsmen. No one wanted to get in the middle of them, else they risk their lives.

"So what are you doing all the way in Orient Town, Jin?"

"Looking for someone who's searching for information, someone who's been desolating Library branches to do it, too and after he's done, he burns them down to the ground."

Jacky realizes that the one Jin is looking for is himself. Jin shoots Jacky a knowing glance, showing that he knows. "I guess showing you Drakos was a bad idea, right?"

Jin nodded his head. "Well, it would be a bad idea if I had wanted to hide it, eh?"

"S-so you weren't intent on-!" Noel began.

"On hiding it? No, of course not. I don't care as long as you don't go telling anyone more powerful than me." That last part wasn't very smart of him to say.

"Are trying to say that I'm weaker than you?" Jin once again reached for Yukianesa. Jacky smiled at his old Frie-enemy. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You got a problem with that, Icicle?"

Jin drew his sword from its sheath, cold air steaming from the sword as it came out. Jacky just stood there, smiling at him smugly. "Go ahead and try it, Frosty."

Jacky's skin hardened and scaled sprouted from his flesh once more, his skin began to turn rusty red. He was confident that Jin wouldn't even be able to hit him, but it's better to be safe than dead. His scales were a powerful safety precaution.

Jin thrust his sword into the floor and a sheet of ice began covering it, but by the sheet of ice never reached Jacky, in fact, the moment it got too close, the ice began to melt. "That's what happens when you put ice next to fire, Jin. It melts. Every time. Little science lesson for you, there. Are we done?"

Jin threw a few ice shards at him, but every single one melted and Jacky just stayed in that spot, smiling like a goof. Jacky crossed his arms and waited for Jin to make his next move.

Jin charged in, ready to cut him into tiny ice cubes. Next thing he knew, Yukianesa was flung out of his hand. Jacky looked just as surprised as he did. They both turned toward Noel and saw the smoking barrels of Bolverk. "That's enough, you two!"

Jin growled and stormed toward her.

Finally, Jacky moved his feet and stepped between him and Noel. "Hold it right there, buddy, she's just trying to keep things peaceful. I admit, it's boring, but there's no need to make something of it."

Jin punched Jacky and left a sheet of ice on his left cheek, although it melted away almost immediately. "Now that wasn't nice, Jinny boy. I thought you didn't like cheap shots."

"Only when they're delivered by someone else," he replied. Jacky popped a vein and butted heads with Jin.

"Is that so, little miss snowstorm?"

"Yeah, do you have a problem with it, you scaly eyesore?"

"Yeah, I got a problem with it, you stupid snow-bitch!"

Litchi and Noel just stood there viewing the quarrel. Even Carl had finally woken up from his slumber to view the spectacle.

"Sh-shouldn't we stop them?" the doctor asked. Noel just shook her head, "No, just leave them to it. They'll tire out eventually."

It was going to be a long night.

**Note: Hey everyone, Reploid7 here! Sorry this chapter isn't as long. I didn't have much time to work on this chapter.**

**And don't worry about Ragna and Tao, we'll be getting back to them soon enough.**

**This is Reploid7,**

**Signing off!**


	4. The Reunion

Chapter 4

Childhood Reunion

_Orient Town, Litchi's Clinic – Jin, Noel, and Jacky_

The quarrel between rivals was ended harshly when Litchi busted Jin and Jacky in the heads with her baton. Now they were just ignoring each other by looking the other way. Carl had watched everything in silence with a hint of amusement.

He bit into his food and watched the two anxiously, but he wouldn't get any more excitement after they got knocked in the craniums.

"I had such high hopes for you two, but I guess it was just wishful thinking," Noel groaned.

"Shut up, you stupid-!" Jin began. "Lay off Noel, Jin. She's never once done anything malevolent to you, so why do you have to be such an ass?"

"Come on, Jacky, even you had to have noticed the similarity!"

Although it was a mystery to Noel, Jacky knew what he meant.

_Celica's Church, Years Ago…_

_Jacky ran out of the church with Sister Mercury chasing after him._

"_STOP PUTTING FIRECRACKERS IN THE ORGAN PIPES!"_

_Jacky laughed at her distress, but as he looked behind him, he noticed that she was gaining on him. Then Ragna stuck his foot out and tripped her over, allowing Jacky to escape and hide. Saya saw the events unfold and immediately ran over to Mercury's side. "Are you alright?"_

_Ragna was laughing his butt off. She shot him an angry glare and shut him up. "Ragna, you and Jacky have to stop with the pranks!"_

"_But we've hardly got anything to do and Jin refuses to play. He's just reading his books and nothing else." Saya pouted and helped Sister Mercury up as best she could. Eventually Jacky finally came out of hiding when the coast was clear._

_As he entered the church, he felt a book slam into his head from the side. Saya had smacked him with a novel she was reading. "Quit torturing Sister Mercury, brother!"_

"_Ow, ow, okay, I'm sorry, I won't do it anymore. Ugh, did you HAVE to hit me with a hard-back book?"_

"_It's your own fault for giving the Sister grief, Brother Jacky."_

"_Yeah, yeah, I get it already."_

_Saya._

_She was a sweet girl that he saw as a sister. She never cared only for herself. Then, that horrid day came._

_The church had been burned to the ground. Jacky was feeling bold that day and decided to venture off away from the church on his own for a bit. A few moments afterwards and he heard screaming coming from the direction of the church._

_As he ran back to the church, something glided past him. It appeared as nothing more than a blur, but the next thing he knew, he was bleeding from his chest. Pain ripped through every sense of his being and he could hardly stand it. He looked up and saw a green-haired man standing before him. "Wh-who are you?"_

"_Aw, the little tyke is still talking?" the stranger said mockingly as he kicked Jacky a few times. After a while, he blacked out from the pain. When he woke up again, his chest wound was healed. He got up on his feet and ran back to the church to find it in ruin. He searched the area, but the only thing he could find was the dead body of Mercury lying around. None of Jacky's siblings were around._

_There was still fire strewn about the area here and there and Jacky's sadness, confusion, and anger made him feel like his heart was on fire. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a red-bladed, doubled-edged sword with a violet hilt lying on the ground by his side._

_Etched into the blade was the word 'Drakos'. He picked up the weapon and stood up and took off on his own._

_Present Time, Orient Town, Litchi's Clinic – Jacky, Jin, and Noel_

"I know what you mean, Jin, but I don't care if she looks like her. It doesn't matter to me, she's still a person who deserves to be to respect, not to the cold edge of your weapon."

Noel wanted to pursue the subject, but decided to put it on hold until the time was right to ask.

"So, Ray, why are you in Kagutsuchi in the first place?" Jin growled. "What? Come on, Jin, I don't need a reason to be somewhere, least of all, Orient Town," Jacky returned, "However, for once, I do have a reason for being here. I'm looking for someone."

"Who are you looking for, Jacky?"

"Ragna the Bloodedge."

Jin a bolted upright ready to unsheathe Yukianesa again, but then Litchi whacked him in the head again, prompting him to fall back on the bed.

"Relax, Jin, and you too, Noel. I'm not looking to kill him or turn him in. Quite the contrary, I plan to join up with him and hunt down the green-haired bastard that burned down our church."

_Orient Town, Chinese Restaurant – Ragna and Taokaka_

"Will you slow down, Tao, you're getting food everywhere!" Tao and Ragna stopped by a nice Chinese restaurant for a break and Tao, once again, took advantage of Ragna's wallet. Eventually, when they were finally finished eating, Ragna was given the bill and its price was out of his reach.

The next thing they knew, they were being chased away by the chef, the waitress, and a number of Vigilantes. During their trip, Taokaka had pointed to the clinic up ahead. "Let's go see Booby Lady!"

"What? What the hell is she going to do? Medicate them to death?"

However, when as they drew closer to the clinic, Litchi had exited the building and knocked the crowd away. "Okay, I take that back," Ragna said quickly.

Ragna and Tao thanked Litchi for the assistance and turned to leave when Tao tripped and bashed her head in. Ragna picked the kitty up and dragged her into the clinic. "Treat her quickly, please. I don't have time for this crap."

Tao was carried to the patients' room and set down on a bed. Jacky, Jin, Noel, and Carl all watched as Ragna the Bloodedge followed Litchi into the room. Ragna took a look at the various individuals in the room. Jin, well, that encounter was most likely going to badly. Noel wasn't a problem, in fact, Ragna was actually a little happy to see her. Carl had completely faded from Ragna's memory since their first encounter, so he didn't know what to think.

As he gaze came upon Jacky, he felt something clawing in the back of his mind, a sort of nostalgia that was just begging to be released. "Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

Jacky popped a vein and an aura of extreme annoyance was emanating from him. "Why the hell does it take you people so damn long to remember me!?" He yelled at everyone in general.

"Because you're easy to forget," Jin snarled. Jacky threw a medicine tray at him and hit him square in the forehead. "I didn't ask for your opinion, you frosty f*ck!"

Jacky returned his gaze to Ragna. "So you really don't remember me?"

"Should I remember you?"

Jacky felt crushed. His old classmates in military school were one thing, Jin remembered Jacky for as long as they were near each other, and Saya was missing, but Ragna was the one person that he hoped would remember him.

"You better not be pulling my leg, because I don't have the patience for it right now. Let me make something clear. No, I don't remember you and I don't care. I've got more serious matters to wrap my mind around right now. Hey, Litchi, call me in when the kid wakes up, which shouldn't take too long."

Ragna left the room, not even giving Jacky a second glance.

Jacky fell to one of the beds. Noel tried to comfort Jacky, but he just laughed in spite of himself. "That idiot, of course he wouldn't remember me. He's just as boneheaded as always."

But despite his smile, laughter, and playful banter, there was a tinge of sadness in his tone and his smile was undoubtedly false. Was he really so unimportant to Ragna that he could just forget completely?

"Are you going to be okay, Jacky?"

"Just give me some time, Noel, I'll feel better eventually."

_Orient Town, Outside Litchi's Clinic – Ragna the Bloodedge_

Ragna exited the clinic and took a stroll through town. "What was that guy's deal? I don't care what he says, there's no way I know him from anywhere." However, he felt a sinking feeling in his mind that contradicted what he was telling himself.

"Ragna the Bloodedge, SS-Class Criminal wanted by the NOL."

A red-haired woman in an NOL uniform recited these words as she held up a wanted poster for Ragna to see. "You are hereby under arrest."

She drew her weapon and attempted to strike at his solar plexus, but he managed to draw his sword and block her strike. The two began to exchange blows with each other, the sounds of clashing metal leaked into the clinic, putting everyone on alert.

Jacky summoned Drakos and ran out of the clinic as fast as possible to find Ragna fighting no more than 5 feet from the clinic.

And his opponent?

Tsubaki Yayoi.

Jacky rushed in and got inbetween Ragna and Tsubaki and blocked her weapon. Ragna stopped fighting of his own accord. "Get out of my way! If this chick wants to fight then she's going to get more than she bargained for."

"Just wait, please!"

Jacky looked up at the red-haired soldier. "Tsubaki, what are you doing here?"

Tsubaki recognized him faster than Noel and Carl. You can bet how relieved he felt about that. "What are you doing, Jacky? Why are you defending this criminal?"

"Look, I know it's your duty and I know that he's a wanted man, but you can't fight him. If you fight him, you will lose, trust me!"

"How are you so sure that I will lose?"

"Because he has taken down countless soldiers of the NOL all at once, because you're only one person, and because if you continue to endanger yourself, I'll have to take you down myself," he explained. He was surprised by the final part though. He sounded like a complete jerk.

Tsubaki pushed Jacky back from her. "I'm sorry, but I've already been to that point and I can't go back from that," she said as her attire changed.

The Izayoi.

"What are you doing with that thing?" Jacky demanded. He noticed that she was beginning to shake dizzily. "How much have you used it?"

She ignored his questions as her weapon shifted to a blade whip and the atmosphere grew dark and quiet. "Stop using that damned thing, please Tsubaki!"

She swung the whip at Ragna, but he deflected the blow effortlessly. She swung again and he grabbed the end of the whip and with one big, great tug, he pulled her toward him in an instant and punched her lights out.

"That didn't take long. You weren't kidding when you told her that she would lose," Ragna said to him.

The next thing he knew, Jacky had punched him hard.

"What the hell was that for!?"

He was mad that Jacky had the gall to punch him.

"You're such an idiot!" He yelled. "Who are you calling an idiot, dude?" Jacky lifted Tsubaki and took her to the clinic. "Ragna, you're a smart guy, but what makes you an idiot is how you've changed since the church."

The church? How the hell did he know about the church?

That punch to his face seemed to strengthen his feeling of familiarity towards Jacky though. However, Ragna still couldn't quite dig up the memories just yet. It would a better shovel than a punch to the face to dig up this memory.

Until then, the true reunion would have to wait.


	5. Update for Every Story!

**UPDATE!**

I feel so ashamed of myself for getting this message to you guys so late.

Anyways, I should let you guys know is that I am a High School Junior, so the reason why I haven't been posting new chapters lately is because I'm struggling through the final months of school and, boy, has it been rough.

Anyways, I feel like I should hold off on writing the next chapters until the school year ends. I'll try and brainstorm ideas, though, so sit tight and wait patiently, if you would please.

Thank you for your patience.  
Reploid7

Signing off!


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